Immigration Barrister |
PAUL TURNER
Head of Chambers
LL.B (Hons) (First Class), LL.M (Distinction), Barrister
Year of Call: 1998, The Honourable Society of Lincolns’ Inn
Specialties: Investor Immigration Visa UK, UK Immigration Visa Advice, Immigration & UK Visa Appeal, Emergency UK Immigration Injunctions, Highly Skilled Worker UK Visa, How to Apply for British Citizenship, Skilled Worker Visa UK
Overview
Paul Turner is one of the UK’s leading barristers with over 20 years’ experience practising in Immigration and Human Rights.
He has a wide range of experience in all aspects of Immigration law and can assist with any and all immigration problems.
He is authorised by the BSB to act as a litigator, meaning that he can take responsibility for your case from start to finish. He is a highly effective and user-friendly advocate who has a proven track record in getting success for his clients.
He has been involved with the successful Highly Skilled Migrants group and their challenge to the Tier 1 tax refusals, and has a large client base who were victims of the TOEIC (English Language test) scandal which has wrecked thousands of lives through largely unfounded allegations about his clients’ ability to speak English. He is currently acting on a test case in this matter and, put shortly, is at the cutting edge of the biggest issues affecting people’s immigration problems.
Paul also provides highly personalised advice and guidance to high net worth individuals on a range of sensitive matters including nationality, residency, data protection, and privacy. Paul’s experience and breadth of knowledge mean that he is able to handle the most complex and sensitive issues.
He is the founder and head of Imperium Chambers, a boutique and specialist set of barristers providing excellent and personalised services. He has overseen Chambers’ reputation grow in the last few years and the team now includes many barristers who are experts in their field.
Paul believes the law is constantly changing and maintains a high-profile social media presence across a range of platforms to keep those who are interested in immigration or have a problem properly informed. He has his own YouTube channel and website which have regular updates on all matters immigration.
Paul has worked in a number of chambers, including the highly regarded Tooks Chambers under Michael Mansfield QC. He has closely followed the changes in immigration law, its complexity and by working solely for migrants, he has been able to concentrate on challenging the government’s hostile environment to those who wish to remain in the UK.
Until fairly recently, it was necessary to use a solicitor as it was not possible to approach a barrister directly. After the law changed, it is now possible for the public to approach barristers directly and Paul was one of the first specialist immigration barristers to embrace the opportunities that this provided. Having worked in ever larger sets he had seen that the needs of the individual were often not being met or serviced as well as they could be.
To this end, Paul became qualified to take instructions directly from the public along with solicitors with whom he has and does work closely at every stage in a case from providing advice in conferences to appearing in the Supreme Court. He is also licensed to litigate as well as merely deal with the public and this means he can much of what a solicitor can do, often at a fraction of the price and with the benefit of direct contact and involvement.
Having established a vibrant direct access practice he realised that there was a need for a small but focussed set of barristers that shared his goals and to this end he formed and is the head of Imperium Chambers. Imperium Chambers is formed of specialist and high-quality barristers who are able to deal directly with the public.
Paul also realised that while “legal London”, based around the Royal Courts of Justice, is the historic legal centre, he would be better able to serve the needs of the community by moving to Tooting, at 2 Selkirk Road, London SW17 0ES. This allows high-quality lawyers to directly serve clients in the community.
Paul is directly supported by a dedicated team who are able to answer any and all queries when he is not available himself.
- R (on the application of) Mays v London Borough of Brent [2003] EWHC 481 (Admin)
- R (on the application of) M v London Borough of Islington and Secretary of State of the Home Department [2003] EWHC 1388 (Admin)
- R (on the application of) Broni Appiah v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2009] EWHC 2596 (Admin)
- SB (Trinidad and Tobago) v Secretary of State [2010] EWCA Civ 1165
- R (on the application of) Bharadva v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2010] EWHC 3030 (Admin)
- Oppong v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2011] UKUT 431 (IAC)
- R (on the application) of Arirad v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2012] EWHC 1207 (Admin)
- R on the application of Toufighy and Duran v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2012] EWHC 3004
- Secretary of State of the Home Department v Hayat and Treebowan [2012] EWCA 1054
- R (on the application of) UK Business Academy v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWHC 2385 (Admin)
- R (on the application of) Shoqaib v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWHC 3244 (Admin)
- Rehman IA262582012 & IA262622012 & IA262662012 [2013] UKAITUR IA262582012 (22 July 2013)
- R (on the application of) AR (Iran) v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWCA Civ 778
- R (on the application of) Shakeel v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2012] EWHC 1169 (Admin)
- R (on the application of) Navaratnam v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWHC 2383 (QB)
- NN (South Africa) v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWCA Civ 653
- THILAGARAJAN AA056242013 [2013] UKAITUR AA056242013 (5 November 2013)
- R (on the application of) Rahim v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWHC 2794 (Admin)
- R on the application of) Matthews v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] UKUT 00466
- R (on the application of) Hamzeh v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2013] EWHC 4113 (Admin)
- PM AA081442012 [2014] UKAITUR AA081442012 (24 June 2014)
- BHEEKHOO IA448342013 & ors [2014] UKAITUR IA448342013 (1 July 2014)
- R (on the application of) Masso v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWHC 159 (Admin)
- R(on the application of) Lavang v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWHC 3473
- Beech IA504782013 [2014] UKAITUR IA504782013 (7 November 2014) Hamzeh & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ 956 (11 July 2014)
- SH (Iran) v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ 1469
- RN (Sri Lanka) v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ
- R (on the application of) Tesfay v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWHC 2109
- R (on the application of) Johnson v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2014] EWHC 2386 and 2775
- Bhanderi IA276012014 [2015] UKAITUR IA276012014 (3 February 2015)
- Tran v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 694 (30 April 2015)
- DA (Iraq) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 1523 (11 November 2015)
- KANAPADIPILLAI AA031852015 [2016] UKAITUR AA031852015 (24 February 2016)
- Razzaq OA166622013 & Others [2016] UKAITUR OA166622013 (31 May 2016)
- Yasmin IA415792014 [2016] UKAITUR IA415792014 (6 June 2016)
- R (on the application of) Johnson v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWCA 22
- R (on the application of) Johnson v Secretary of State of the Home Department [2016] UKSC 56
- Manderson v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] EWCA Civ 2715 (21 March 2017)
- Mansur v Secretary of State for the Hone Department [2018] UKT 274
- R (on the application of) Shah v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018]
- Awais EA018232018 [2019] UKAITUR EA018232018 (20 March 2019)
- Rauf v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 1276 (24 July 2019)
- Q A S (Pakistan) PA029812018 [2019] UKAITUR PA029812018 (12 September 2019)
- R (on the application of Ellis) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (discretionary leave policy; supplementary reasons) [2020] UKUT 82 (IAC)
- R (on the application of) Michael [E] JR030212019 [2020] UKAITUR JR030212019 (5 February 2020)
- DK and RK (Parliamentary privilege; evidence) [2021] UKUT 00061 (IAC)
- Mahmud, R (On the Application Of) v Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) [2021] EWCA Civ 1004 (08 July 2021)
- Khalid & Ors, R (On the Application Of) v (Secretary of State for the Home Department & Anor [2021] EWHC 2156 (Admin) (14 July 2021)
Paul has extensive interest and experience in all areas of immigration law from:
- Advice
- Conferences
- Appeals
- Judicial Reviews
- Injunctions
Paul began his career with the Treasury Solicitor (now the Government Legal Department), working there between 1999-2002. He built up a range of experiences there, including presenting appeals, and has the advantage of knowing the ins and outs of how the Home Office works.
He has appeared in all the Courts in England and Wales from the First Tier to the Supreme Court and is able to help in every area of law from visit visas, through applications for residency, PBS (in particular the Highly Skilled Group and TOEIC victims), human rights and asylum appeals. Paul also has a large number of reported cases and is known and respected as a highly effective barrister who will fight for his clients.
More importantly, he is available to help right now. If you need help, telephone or email immediately and someone will be in touch to see what can be done. Paul appears regularly before the First-Tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Administrative Court and Court of Appeal. He also regularly makes applications for interim relief by telephone to the out of hours High Court and Court of Appeal Judge, and has obtained telephone injunctions in the Court of Appeal preventing removals from the UK.
Paul has a particular interest in Judicial Review and currently settles around 400 new Judicial Review applications per year. He regularly appears in the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal. He has extensive experience in making last minute applications for injunctive relief, both on the telephone and PF244 application notices to the High Court and Court of Appeal. Paul also specialises in cases involving illegal detention and Habeas Corpus and obtaining emergency injunctions.
In addition to immigration, Paul has a strong Family Law practice, both in public and private family law matters. He has represented individuals, and local authorities in care proceedings and is able to provide sensitive, robust, and expert advice and representation.
He has also represented clients in private disputes, both intra and extra territorial, including those with high net worth.
Immigration work has changed of late with the government encouraging investors and entrepreneurs and as a result Paul has been working with a wide range of High Net Worth individuals.
Paul has become involved with working with firms in Pakistan such as S.A. Jamali, Mauritius and also in Poland, France and Switzerland. Paul has dealt with Judges not only in the United Kingdom but also abroad, recently dealing with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He was also instructed by the Governor of a province in Angola to resolve a particularly sensitive personal issue and having arranged a personal meeting with the British Ambassador within 1 day of arrival resolved the problem within a week to the satisfaction of his client. He has advised in the Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (“DAO”) hack of cryptocurrencies and the Biftinex hack of Bitcoins.
Paul brings 20 years of legal experience in dealing with often complex problems to issues ranging from privacy, data protection, residency and nationality. He has direct experience in corporate arbitration and has worked on a number of sensitive projects.
Paul’s practice is evolving and it seems the natural step to move into a more diverse practice. Paul’s work also involves him travelling and he is happy to travel at short notice.
In addition, Paul has worked on a range of other matters including Housing and Public Enquiries. He worked on the Robert Hamill Inquiry into the death of Robert Hamill in County Armagh in 1997.
He also has considerable experience in Data Protection, which often crosses over with other areas of work. This has seen him rectify police records and ensure that people’s public records are accurate.
Paul is fluent in Italian.
Paul loves to exercise, he runs, practices Aikido Iaido. While abroad he skis. He enjoys traveling, in particular to Italy where he has a home and enjoys restoring ancient buildings. When time allows he also enjoys movies and opera.
He is a member of Lincoln’s Inn and is a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Selpuchre.
Meet the team
Kim Pullinger works closely with Paul Turner on all aspects of immigration law, as well as family and civil matters. He enjoys interacting with clients as well as conducting legal research on complex and emerging issues.
He regularly works on a wide range of visa and settlement applications, asylum cases, and appeals in the First-tier and Upper Tribunal, as well as the higher courts.
2020 BPTC LLM, The University of Law
2019 GDL, The University of Law
2018 BA English and French, University of Southampton, Université Rennes II
Waqar Ahmad works closely with Mr Paul Turner on various immigration matters such as human rights, indefinite leave to remain and asylum. He assists Mr Turner in providing casework support and with the preparation of immigration appeals. He has recently assisted Mr Turner on a complex TOEIC matter which has resulted in the client being granted indefinite leave to remain.
2021 Bar Professional Training Course (City, University of London) – Very Competent
2019 LLB Law (City, University of London) – 2.1 Classification
Adela Bushi is a multi-skilled and an enthusiastic professional who has a genuine interest in working with and helping people. She works closely with Paul Turner by liaising with Imperium Chamber’s large Albanian client base. Adela has previous experience in different sectors of customer service both legal and non-legal field and is now able to deal with a broad range of customers, solve problems and ensure high level of client satisfaction while understanding the importance of diversity amongst our clients. Adela is also a very passionate interpreter and translator with great interpersonal skills, very articulate and fully aware of diversity and multicultural issues. She provides a wide range of administrative and legal support to members of chambers on several matters including Human Rights, EU Law and Family Law.
University of Law – LLB with International Business – Currently on 3rd year (2019 – 2022)
Croydon College – Access to Higher Education Diploma in Law – Distinction grade (2019)
Angela Sejdini works closely with Paul Turner by liaising with, and translating for, Imperium’s large Albanian client base. She provides a wide range of administrative and legal support to members of chambers on a number of matters including asylum, EUSS, and family law. Angela is very enthusiastic and passionate, keen to learn. She is also a cheery and very approachable person.
2019 – 2022 Bachelor’s Law (University of Law) – Currently on 3rd year
2019 Access to Higher Education Diploma in Law (Waltham Forest College) – Merit
2016-2018 Public Services Course (Waltham Forest college) – Distinction**
Nick Chuter joined Imperium Chambers in 2020 as our Senior Clerk.
He has been Clerking for over 15 years at some of London’s top Barristers Chambers, including Fountain Court, Devereux Chambers, and Doughty Street Chambers.
He is responsible for every aspect of the smooth running of Chambers including practice management, fees, staff management, recruitment, marketing, and business development
Nick has in-depth knowledge of all members of Chambers and their practices and is able to effectively assist both Solicitor and Direct Access clients.
He is a member of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and achieved a distinction in the BTEC Advanced Award in Chambers Administration.
